Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!
Nigeria could be declared free of the current Ebola outbreak on December 7, 2026, if no new cases are confirmed, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Pate, has said.
Pate disclosed this on Monday in a post on X, explaining that the date depends on meeting the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) 42-day countdown requirement. He warned that any new confirmed or probable case would restart the countdown.
The minister’s update followed the medical evacuation of the infected patient and her spouse to Switzerland on October 26.
Pate confirmed that both were Swiss citizens and said the patient was clinically stable after receiving treatment from Nigerian medical personnel.
According to the minister, Swiss authorities confirmed that the pair had arrived safely. The patient is receiving care at Geneva University Hospitals, while her spouse is in isolation at University Hospital Zurich.
Pate also said Switzerland had expressed appreciation for the care provided by Nigerian health professionals and the cooperation between both countries and the WHO that facilitated the evacuation.
In his post, the minister said Nigeria’s immediate priorities remained monitoring identified contacts, investigating suspected cases and strengthening preparedness across health facilities.
“If no further confirmed or probable cases are detected, Nigeria could progress towards declaring this outbreak over under #WHO criteria, potentially as early as 7 December 2026,” he wrote.
He stressed that the date was provisional and subject to validation of the 42-day countdown by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and the WHO.
The minister added that health officials were working with the Federal Capital Territory Administration, state health authorities and partners to contain the outbreak and prevent community transmission.
He urged Nigerians to remain calm, cooperate with contact-tracing teams and follow updates from relevant health authorities.
The WHO Regional Director for Africa, Professor Mohamed Janabi, had also said Nigeria had no current Ebola cases following the evacuation of the infected patient and her husband.
However, health authorities are expected to continue surveillance, contact monitoring and investigations into alerts until the outbreak can be officially declared over.